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January 2004 |
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| We took Joe and Kathryn to Isla Isabella, a bird sanctuary off the
coast of Mexico just south of Mazatlan. We came into the anchorage just before heavy weather, and spent a very scary
night on anchor watch, off a lee shore and looking for a rock reported to be just under
Soul Catcher's keel. We never found the rock, and our Bullwaga anchor is
proving itself to be very reliable.
We climbed the top of this
cliff to photograph the Boobies.
Soul Catcher is anchored
just to the right of this photo, hence the scary night anchor watch.
From the top of the cliff, Soul Catcher looks very safe, but from the
boat, the cliff looked much too close. |
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Here we are at the top of
the cliff, up close and personal with a Brown Booby. See
its lime
green feet? See Soul Catcher in the
background? |
| Joe and Luc being buds; see
the Magnificent Frigate Birds behind them?
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Pelicans and Hiermans Gulls
(I better check this spelling) The Hierman Gulls have those dramatic
bright orange beaks. |
| All of the bird photographs were taken
without zooms. The birds had no fear of us, and mostly ignored us. There is no more beautiful
bird than this Blue-footed Booby. You have to stare at their blue feet
for a long time. I mean, we knew they would be blue, but they
are REALLY blue.
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Here's another look.
Notice the exquisite pattern of feathers on her head and neck.
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| This Frigate Bird is still
a baby, its head is still white. |
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An amorous Magnificent
Frigate Bird. Just this close, no kidding. They were an
arm's length away. |
| This mama Brown Booby is
sitting on a chick |
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A full grown Blue foot and
a Brown juvenile; look at the blue eyes of the juvenile |
| This male magnificent
frigate bird is tending his hatchling. |
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We could have stayed a
month, but Joe and Kathryn had to go home. So we left Isla
Isabella, hoping to return next year. This is Tortuga Rock just
off Isla Isabella. The closer you get to it, the more it looks
like a Turtle. |
